last day

I leave tomorrow. So I walked.
Picked up my laundry and head to La Boca. Guidebook says dont stray from the path. La Boca can be dicey. So I went during the day, completely off the path and yes, I saw, smelled, heard...
Wandering dogs of all sizes
Cooked and cooking dog shit
An abuela yelling for a kid
A kid wilding scuffling home because abuela was calling
Corrogated metal buildings two stories high
Two sixty year old men playing ¨Slugfest¨ and laughing in front of a tenement
Bars
Cracked concrete
Laughter
Men dragging parts of a falled tree through the streets

I didn´t feel threatened. It could be considered ugly but I saw it as just another scene. I liked it. I would go back just to take more pictures and draw it.

To get to this part I had to take a ride. I walked toward a tall orange bridge while I was in town. I got to the end and there were in fact two bridges. One new, tall and orange and a brown metal wreck. Now that the bridge was out people still have to get across right? So it looks like some twenty year olds put up 2 small buildings, three row boats and for 80 cents argentinian they row you across. Check the video. I kept thinking, this would never happen in the US, or the trip would cost nine dollars and be sponsered by citibank. It was very very cool.

I have a confession to make. Yesterday I did something that I did not write about in the blog because I was embarrassed and ashamed of. I bought some fruit yesterday as I did say but as I walked out of the store and down the street a kid about 20 came up to me as I was waiting for an opening in the traffic to cross the street. In my defense, my spanish is bad and it takes some time for me to compute, decide and respond when someone talks to me. This kid was fine, a little odd and uncomfortable so my guard was up and this was not a great part of town. He said something to me in spanish, pointed and I picked out the word, UNO.

Living where I live, I feel bad but my default setting when someone asks for anything in the street, is no. And that was my response, Lo seinto, no.

We crossed the street and he disappeared into a building then it hit me...this guy was hungry and asked for a piece of fruit. Damn. This kid looked uncomfortable asking and I thought he would feel even worse if I chased him so I could give him that stupid bag with a peach and pear in it.

I tried to minimize it but it stuck with me. It doesn´t seem like a big thing but really someone asks for some fruit and what kind of asshole says no. Fortunately, whatever forces at work yesterday were at work again today because coming back after my second boat ride across the water I walked through the park and up a hill. I was feeling pretty good because I thought I was really seeing and feeling everything around me. Taking it all in for those times when I´m at work or in line at DMV when it´s nice to go somewhere else in your head for a couple of minutes.

And I heard some very faint words. I almost kept going but I stopped and turned and there was an old man that looked like he was 6 foot squashed to 5 foot at the top of a grassy patch of hill. "Joven, Joven..." He was pointing at the ground and half smiling. I was quietly racing through every word this man said and I picked out "dame su manito por favor" So I walked up and gave him my hand and steadied him as he shuffled slowly across the grass, exposed roots from a tree and an uneven patch of concrete. He talked to me like my grandmother used to talk to me when I couldn´t understand and I was to stupid to listen then but I listened today.

He was smiling and made it to the path. He patted my back and told me thank you. I don´t even remember what I said I was just grateful to have that moment.